“The Crucible” is a play written by Arthur Miller, which is based on the true story of the Salem witch trails. Miller wanted theatre to “heighten the awareness of what living in our time involves”. Therefore, his play has many links with the modern world, McCarthyism for instance. Breaking it down into many smaller scenes, I will analyse Act 1 of ‘The Crucible’. I am doing this to explore the dramatic effect of character and action. ‘The Crucible’ is a powerful drama and is strongly built to bring out the full dramatic effect of varying shifts of tension and conflict. This is a play that explores the way in which a community can be devastated by a witch-hunt that can place individuals at conflict with their own conscience. It is very important that we understand the answer to the question ‘What was living in Salem like in 1692?’ If we do not explore this question, the drama is not convincing. The villagers of Salem were Puritans who followed a particular form of Protestant Christianity. Life was hard in the small town due to strict religious codes. Singing, theatre and dancing were all forbidden and everyone was expected to attend worship on a regular basis. The people of Salem did infact believe in witchcraft and the outbreak of accusations in 1692 gave people an excuse to wreak revenge upon old enemies and to settle old scores with land ownership. This caused many innocent people to be blamed and so the accusations to spread like wildfire. We have no way of being sure what the language of the time really sounded like - there are no recordings! There had been settlers in Massachusetts for quite a short time, so the American English that we know today wouldn't have existed. But by looking at documents from that time, including verbatim (word for word) transcripts of the court proceeding, Miller was able to create an historical feel to the language, which makes it easier for us to feel we are being transported back to the community of that time. Miller is trying to establish a society that is unfamiliar but that we can believe in. He uses various features of language to help do this. Miller used old-fashioned, archaic words, which where still authentic. For example, “bid” is used instead of the commonly used told, as well an aye and nay being used for yes or no. “Aye, but we did.” As well as these traditional words, we are met with many unfamiliar words like Goody. This is a Title used instead of Mrs in the play. “And there was Goody Good” – referring to Sarah Good. Also there are unfamiliar uses of the verb ‘to be’. “There were some movement”. The modern English equivalent to this would be ‘there was’. Furthermore, Miller uses double negatives often as John Proctor says, “I never said no such thing”. There is also a rustic, colloquial feeling to the dialogue, as Miller often drops the ‘g’ on verbs including, “nothin’”, “singin’” and “comin’”. These are used throughout the Act so it is clear that Miller is being consistent. At the time when Miller was writing his play, ‘The Crucible’, a case of modern-day ‘witch-hunt’ was taking place in America. In his prose commentary, Miller draws upon parallels with the situation in the United States during the McCarthy era. Joseph McCarthy, a senator, exploited the national fear of an international communist conspiracy. Stirring up these rumours, McCarthy managed to create a national campaign against communists and anyone related to them. There are obvious similarities between this and Miller’s play. Some of these similarities are a string of unsupported accusations, people encouraged to put own their friends and loved ones, a spread of fear and suspicion and of course endless amounts of hearsay. He was communicating his own time in America in the sense that his play was a metaphor for mistakes in the past, in Salem, where being repeated again now. He was very effective in this but people who read or watch his play performed now may not know of McCarthy, but they will still realise that mistakes are being made. It is a way of passing on his wisdom onto us in a meaningful and layered play. ‘The Crucible’ in the plays title is an analogy for the town of Salem and its period of witchcraft mania. In the lives of the colonists of Salem, those who survived became better and stronger people from it, although many died in public executions for being accused of witchcraft. In the following Paragraphs I will split Act 1 into many scenes and analyse them individually. I will explore the dramatic effects of character and action, and then explain the effects of these devices and their structure. Miller begins the first scene on an unusually calm note; Betty lying on the bed, still, and Parris is praying and weeping softly over her. The stage directions tell us that “a sense of confusion hangs about him” as he mumbles. He is obviously not a strong or decisive man at all. The first clear words are spoken by a woman; “Tituba (already taking a step backwards): My Betty be hearty soon?” She is obviously she is distressed over Betty and she feels she has some responsibility for what has happened. The reaction of Parris is one of fierce anger; “Parris (scrambling to his feet in a fury): Out of my sight!” When Tituba leaves he is “overcome with sobs” and shows exhaustion and “fear”. The audience begins to wonder why? – Miller has already created an atmosphere of suspense. Abigail enters at his point and she is described as having “an endless capacity for dissembling”, and it is clear from the beginning that she will cause trouble. In scene 1 we are immediately presented with the fear of witch-craft which is beginning to spread. Parris obviously believes that Betty has been “witched” but seems more concerned about his reputation than his daughter. The dancing incident may seem harmless enough today but back then in a Puritan village it was a terrible sin. Abigail is defensive and is clearly covering something up and Parris is determined to get all of the details from her. The lines “for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” show his main concern. As the conversation develops it becomes apparent that Parris knows exactly what happened but it is revealed gradually to build up tension and to slowly ‘blacken’ Abigail, she sounds convincing with each detail until Parris adds more information. Abigail’s mood changes with the mention of Goody Proctor, she becomes spiteful and accuses her of being “a lying, cold, snivelling woman”. The scene ends with Abigail passionately declaring her innocence, “Abigail (in a temper): My name is good in the village!” The audience are unconvinced by this protest as they have come to see Abigail as a trouble maker. With the arrival of the disruptive Putnams at the beginning of scene 2 the pace of the play is quickened. Mrs Putnam is described as “full of breath, shiny-eyed”; even with mere rumours she is already looking to create trouble and gossip. “Mrs Putnam (glancing at Betty): How high did she fly, how high?” The Putnams believe witch-craft is the cause of this ‘illness’. There is an increase in tension as Parris denies any association with witch-craft, “Parris: No, no, she never flew –”. All the major characters are fully interpreted for us with Miller’s own insight. The prose commentary is only available to those reading the play; those who watch ‘The Crucible’ in a theatre do not have it. Instead the actors onstage convey their character using actions and dialogue. For example, in the written version, the prose tells us of Thomas Putnam as a vindictive man who wants “to right matters”. In the theatre however, this must be shown by the actor. Putnam tells Parris “there is a murdering among us” and he warns Parris that his “enemies will make of it what they will”. This line clearly puts Parris at unease, and this backs up our knowledge of his reputation coming first. The scene ends with Parris’ frantic cry “They will topple me with this”. At the beginning of scene 3 Parris has had enough of the Putnams so he asks them to leave politely. “Parris: Will you leave me now, Thomas? I would pray a while alone.” Even after this the Putnams still sense the opportunity to cause trouble and continue to probe. At the end of the previous scene Thomas Putnam forces Parris to admit he has found witch-craft in his home, but still he has “no answer for that crowd.” He is obviously reluctant to face the rest of the villages with this possibility of his witchcraft, but this doesn’t stop the continued pressure from Thomas Putnam and his wife. This pressure forces Reverend Parris to agree to face the parishioners and with it a steady pace is reasserted. “Paris [swayed]: I’ll lead them in a psalm”. The scene ends with the exit of the Putnams and Parris speaking the words “Parris [to Putnam]: There is a terrible power in her arms today. [He goes out with Putnam]”. Could this “terrible power” be the Devil, and if so, is Parris also admitting that he has discovered witch-craft in his own house, and the audience will begin to wonder. Questions will be asked of witchcraft and this means that tension will be built up again. Miller keeps the play flowing by allowing people to drift naturally on and off the stage, all the time pushing on the plot and developing all characters. Abigail Williams is the only person who stays on the stage throughout the whole of the first Act, her role always shifting. She stays on while many others have left; Parris, Susanna, the Putnams; all of whom have made their contribution to the plot. There is a change in tone when Abigail asks Mercy about Ruth’s condition. Now she has realised the seriousness of their actions Abigail now has “fear in her voice”. Knowing this, she now asserts herself as the strongest of the girls and tells Mercy, the only other person on stage, what to do if questioned. It is for the first time, however, that we are given a clue to what this questioning is about. “Tell them we dance – I told him as much already…He knows Tituba conjured Ruth’s sisters to come out of the grave”. Knowing about the strict Puritan way of life that the inhabitants of Salem followed, we know that even the dancing is a serious offence. We also know, from earlier in the play, that Tituba was involved in the dancing some what, but here it is revealed she “conjured”, something a witch would do. It is obvious to us that Abigail is shifting the blame, but could the girls be taken by the devil. Nearing the end of the scene Abigail informs Mercy of one last detail “He saw you naked”. This would be frowned upon in our modern world, but in Salem during 1692, a very strict Puritan village, it would be incredibly blasphemous. The scene ends on a panicky note, “Mercy [clapping her hands together with a frightened laugh]: Oh, Jesus!” This shows the audience the panic setting in for the girls. Are they infact the devils puppets or is this all an act. In this scene, the fifth of the play, we are enlightened upon the reason of the fright that has overcome Abigail and Marcy. It has become apparent what the punishment the girls may receive if found guilty of the earlier actions “Witchery’s a hangin’ error”. This is a dramatic scene as tension increases and the girls become increasingly frightened and more defensive all the time. It is now, while the girls are alone, that the grim details of their night in the woods are slowly unravelled. “Betty: You drank blood, Abby! You didn’t tell him that!” As we find out the seriousness of their actions high levels of tension are created on stage. During this scene the girls begin to panic. “Abigail: Betty, you never say that again”. Blame is also passed continuously, none of them wanting to be found out as witches. A pivotal point in this scene is when Betty screams “You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife!” I feel that this begins to show the audience a motive for this cover-up by Abigail. She is obviously threatened by Goody Proctor but again, the audience wonder why? Abigail resorts to a viscously violent threat nearing the end of the scene, threatening the girls if they even “breathe a word, or the edge of a word”, she will come for them “in the black of some terrible night”. She also shows the other girls that she can follow up on her threat. She is no stranger to violence as she has seen “some reddish work done at night”. The scene ends with Abigail attacking Mary for coaxing them into admitting their actions in the woods to get a lesser punishment. Abigail is not happy about this, “Abigail [starting for Mary]: I say shut it Mary Warren!” With the arrival of John Proctor, the tension sustains itself or even increases on the stage. In the prose commentary it is shows that he has sinned, a grave sin, however we are not told what it is. “He is a sinner”. It does tell us that he is not happy about what he has done and regrets it. He is a guilty man. “Against his own vision of decent conduct.” We also learn that he hides his sin well, so readers of the play will wonder will it come out and what will happen in this strictly religious village to him if it does. Abigail’s reaction to him is in itself very intriguing, almost if there is some sexual tension between the two. Since Proctor’s entrance we are told that “Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide-eyed.” Something to back up the possibility that there have been a romance here is how his actions change when they are alone. When Mary Warren is in the room he is strong and influential. “I’ll show a great doin’ on your arse one of these days.” This is in contrast to when Warren leaves the stage and it is only occupied by Abigail and John. It is now when he shows a change in his character. Abigail seems to be excited by his arrival, and this is very much found to be true as we are told later in dialogue and action that these to have known each other sexually. It is a very flirtatious scene as Abigail tries to entice John, who barely restrains himself. It is infact his better judgement and his conscience stop him from going to far. “No, no, Abby. That’s done with.” Abigail wants Proctor to herself and now that he has rejected her she becomes increasingly angry. “Abigail [now beginning to anger – she can’t believe it]”. It is now that we see Abigail’s more spiteful vindictive and indeed childish side when she doesn’t get what she wants. This aside, she continues to show her feelings to Proctor; “You clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near.” Finally, Abigail’s wish is granted and Proctor shows a weakness to her. “I may have looked up.” It is here that he refers t the times e has looked up at Abigail’s window, but, nevertheless, he still doesn’t give in. “Proctor [gently pressing her from him, with great sympathy but firmly]: Child –”. It is this one word which sends Abigail to another level of anger, and we see how furious she can be. She now makes very personal remarks towards his “sickly wife”, which makes Proctor react in an instant. “Proctor [angered – at himself as well]: You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth!” This fight increases the pace of the Act intensify highly, and now Proctor begins to threaten Abigail. “Do you look for a whippin’?” and there is a sudden in the mood as “A psalm is heard being sung below”. This contrast between the bickering in the foreground and the soothing psalm in the background is cleverly done by Miller as it reminds the audience of the witch mania ensuing below. Betty marks the end of this scene as she awakens with the sound of the psalm. John and Abigail rush over to Betty’s side as she screams. This is a dramatic ending to the scene because it implies that the rumours of witchcraft may be true. There is no reason for her screaming except for hearing the psalm, God’s words and this could mean that she is infact under the devil’s control. The Putnams, in this scene, the seventh of the Act, insist that Betty’s screaming is a “notorious sign of witchcraft”. Rebecca Nurse is called upon by Reverend Parris and in the prose commentary given to readers of the pay only by Miller, she is noted as a peacekeeper and she is the voice of wisdom in this Act. And we are told in the stage directions that “Gentleness exudes from her.” This shows that she has a profound effect on stage and I believe that it is this effect that helps her to calm Betty. “Rebecca simply stands over the child, ho gradually quiets.” She doesn’t essentially do anything, but it is what she doesn’t do is the key. She doesn’t cause argument like Thomas Putnam or quicken the pace of the play. Rebecca Nurse slows the pace of the play and with it she is able to calm down Betty, who was in a fit of screams before her arrival. In the following moments Goody Nurse is the voice of common sense and offers reasonable explanations to the bombardment of questions from numerous villagers. “A child’s sprit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back.” These poetic words where given to Rebecca specifically, as she is a wise woman who doesn’t believe that Salem is witched, unlike some. The ensuing arguments are not surmising as the Putnams and Proctor have strongly opposing views, and neither is afraid to air these opinions. “Putnam: ... I do not think I saw you a Sabbath meeting since snow flew.” In this line, Putnam is not only attacking Proctor but he his hitting him with the main part of life for the villagers of Salem, their religion. Also, as the local Reverend, Samuel Parris, is also present on stage, it creates added tension between Proctor and Parris. This bickering and quarrelling brings with it a new wav of tension. The scene ends with a man very much like Proctor, Giles Corey about to leave of stage with his friend John. Reverend Beverly Hale marks a new phase in the play at the start of the eighth scene. It is a moment for characters to rest and slows the pace of the play to a quiet state, although, there are many new tensions on stage which the audience are now aware. In the prose commentary Miller writes that Hale is acknowledged as being an expert in the field of witchcraft and he contests cleverly and passionately about the strength and the power of the Devil. “The Devil may become evident as a weapon”. It also shows that Hale is a very clever man as it describes him as an “Eager-eyed intellectual.” He has been called by Parris to find witches, “on being called here to ascertain witchcraft”, so it appears Parris fears the worst. In the prose commentary, Miller also brings our attention to how the devil is used. The Devil is described as “a weapon, designed and used time and time again in every age to whip men into a surrender to a particular church”. This line shows that the Devil is a tool for Churches to arouse fear and hopelessness, where only the church itself will be free of evil. This is identical to what McCarthy does in the1950s to raise fears about communists, saying that he would find a way to eradicate them. These parallels are available to those who chose to read the play in the prose commentary and not for those who watch ‘The Crucible’ in theatres. When Hale comes onto the stage, he is said to be “loaded down with half a dozen heavy books.” This shows he takes his role very seriously and it also shows the extreme measure that Parris will go to find witchcraft in Salem, or is calling Hale a way to give the villagers of Salem what they want, thus protecting Parris’ reputation, something he takes very seriously as found out earlier in the play. The scene starts at a steady pace as he introduces himself to all those on stage, and he forges alliances with some on stage, Goody Nurse for example. “You cannot be Rebecca Nurse?” This question shows to Rebecca that her “good soul” precedes itself. The Putnams continue to push the reality of witchcraft, even to Hale, “that’s a sure sign of witchcraft afloat”, but as we know Hale is a level headed man who replies to all on stage that they “cannot look to superstition in this.” As Hale “goes to his books” we are told in the stage directions that “All wait, avidly.” This shows that he has control of the stage and Miller has allowed Hale to control the pace of the scene. The scene ends on a quiet note as Giles and Hale talk to each other on a more peculiar matter, of Giles wife Martha, who was “readin’ a book.” This may be normal be he adds “I tried and tried and could not say my prayers. And then she closes her book and walks out of the house, and suddenly – mark this – I could pray again.” This may seem odd, but in the prose commentary it shows how Giles Corey has only just learnt his prayers and he is very forgetful in his early eighties. “He only recently learned any prayers and it didn’t take much to make him stumble over them.” Perhaps it was his imagination which took over when he saw his wife reading a book and it was this that made him forget his prayers for a moments. At the beginning of the penultimate ninth scene, we are met with a quick build up of tension as Hale Questions Betty. Can you here me?” He tells all those around him to stay alert as things may become more “frightful”. This raises fears amongst the group and results in more suspense about what will transpire on stage in the next few moments. All others on stage are described as anxious. “The others watch breathlessly” which shows they are as eager to find out what will happen as the watching audience. Parris is still, however, preoccupied by his reputation and being linked to witchcraft, but Hale puts these fears to rest as he expresses “It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than a minister?” This question shows Parris that he should be proud that the Devil dare strike his house, as it shows how good he is. As his reputation is maintained, or even raised in this conversation, his delight is easily measurable. He has a change in attitude and now with “resolution”, he wills his niece on. “Betty! Answer Mr Hale!” As Hale continues his questioning, he grows more suspicious of Abigail. “He turns to Abigail, his eyes narrowing.” The plays pace continues to increase as open accusations are now being made towards Abigail. As his niece is under scrutiny, Parris begins to get nervous ad this can be seen clearly in his dialogue as he begins to stutter. “I ought to say that I – I saw a kettle”. This continues as Hale continues to question, trying to find out what happen on that night in the woods, Abigail begins to realise that she may get blamed for being a witch. We learned earlier in the play that she is a trouble maker and she is relatively intelligent so she does, in her mind the smart thing and passes the blame. “I never called him! Tituba, Tituba ...”, and then she makes herself an innocent in the incident. “She tried, but I refused.” She says that she would go along with it, thus clearing her name, to a point. Tituba, is how terrified by the threats of Putnam and is clearly willing to say whatever she thinks the men want to hear. Thomas Putnam shouts the worst punishment and this sends Tituba “To her knees”. “Putnam: This woman must be hanged!” This is the punishment for Tituba if she is found guilty of witchcraft, but if she confesses, she will be free. She takes the simple way out and gives in. “I tell him I don’t desire to work for him, sir.” With this statement, Hale and the other men push her to tell the names of those whom she saw with the Devil. Since it is her only way to protect herself, she knows she must name names, but she resists for a while. Giving excuses to Hale and the other men she hopes that she doesn’t have to make others go through what she has just endured. “It was black dark, and I –”. This shows that she feels guilty for being a coward and lying. It is clear that the system is wrong, and surely and intellectual man like Hale should consider this. She pours out lines of Devil obsessed nonsense that the men eagerly wait for, and she also uses this as a way of airing her true feelings to the audience. Some of her views may also be considered racist to a point as she lies, “and he says, ‘Look! I have white people belong to me.’” He in this quote refers to the Devil talking to Tituba. This shows the audience that she feels singled out as the only other person in the ethnic minority. Finally she cracks under the pressure of the men ad gives them want hey most want to hear, names of those who she saw with the Devil. “And I look – and there was Goody Good.” The scene ends on a less tense instant as Hale thanks Tituba for clearly lying, but no-one dare say a thing, as they will most likely be called a witch themselves. The final, tenth scene, is very short, and it is a very fast scene. It begins with Abigail seeing what Tituba has just done, and feels that see can show her feelings towards people through the Devil. “Abigail rises, starting as though inspired, and cries out.” She is inspired by Tituba’s manipulation of how their religious system worked, and now feels that she can blame a numerous people whom she doesn’t like. She cries out “I want to open myself!” She wants to become open to God once more and now he can say she saw any number of people with the Devil. It is like a personal revenge for her and the other girls. Ten or so other villagers are said to be with the Devil ad Hale shouts “Glory to God! It is broken, they are free!” He feels that he is fulfilling his duty in that he has found witches in Salem and can now begin helping them. The Act ends with the ecstatic condemning cries of the frenzied girls, upon which the curtain falls. There is a very dramatic ending to the Act 1 with a crescendo of accusations which contrasts heavily to it’s beginning, which was very quiet as Parris knelt sobbing over Betty. It is clear that Miller controls the rise and fall of pace and conflict in this Act. From the curtain rise, the entrance of the Putnams, Proctor and numerous others show how passions can run high in a small village which thinks that it is witched. Conflicts between Putnam and Proctor are clear and it creates tension and suspense for the viewing audience. Also trouble makers such as Abigail Williams and Goody Putnam increase the pace at which the play takes place. Not only Miller controls the pace of the play, but he makes it appear that it is the characters and their choices and actions which control it’s pace.